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Newsflash
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Clean Hands Keep You Healthier Through Winter and All Year Long |
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What’s the best thing you can do to keep you and your family and friends safe from the flu, colds and stomach ailments this winter? Wash your hands!
“All experts agree that handwashing is the best way of preventing flu and other infectious diseases,” says Dr. Phill Collins, physician at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital’s Occupational Health Services. “Despite this, studies show that one in five people don’t wash their hands even after they use the bathroom. This means that you never know who’s going to be carrying around germs. You have to be vigilant about washing your own hands, so that you’re not picking up an infectious disease from someone else and possibly passing it on. In my practice, I wash my hands before I meet a patient, and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after shaking hands with them. In fact, my wife and family all carry hand sanitizer, and we use it regularly.”
Dr. Collins has the following suggestions for keeping yourself and your family healthy.
Wash your hands:
• Before you eat, and before and after preparing and serving food. This will reduce your risk of catching or spreading the bacteria that cause food poisoning.
• After going to the bathroom, changing diapers, being outside, or playing with pets.
• After shaking hands.
• After coughing, sneezing or using a tissue or handkerchief.
If soap and water is not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers with 60 – 90% alcohol are a good substitute. If you work with the public — especially in a position such as a cashier or greeter, where contact with people is very frequent — keeping a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket or near your register will help you stay healthy and keep you from spreading germs on to others. (If you use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, it is important to keep your bottle out of the reach of small children, as it can be very harmful if swallowed or eaten.)
When you do have soap and water at hand:
• Make sure you wash your hands in warm, soapy water for around twenty seconds — about the amount of time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
• Don’t forget to scrub the backs of your hands and under your nails.
• If you dry your hands with a paper towel, use the paper towel to cover your hand as you shut off the water at the sink.
Handwashing did not become part of standard Western medical practice until the late1800s, when it was championed by groundbreaking physicians like Dr. Louis Pasteur. Now, “handwashing is one of the most important tools in hospital infection control,” according to APD’s Infection Control Officer, Diana Colt, RN. “As part of our ongoing efforts to encourage handwashing, APD includes information about handwashing in our annual training and as part of our employee orientation program. We are participants in the New Hampshire Commission on Healthcare Quality Assurance’s High 5 program, which aims at a 100% compliance rate for handwashing throughout the state.”
For more information on handwashing, educational materials, and more, visit the Centers for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/. |
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APD Reports Successful Coat Drive |
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Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., is pleased to report the success of their October coat drive for the Upper Valley Haven. The drive, spearheaded by APD’s Department of Radiology, collected more than 300 coats, hats, and other winter wear items for use by the individuals and families the Haven supports.
“We are very proud of the initiative our employees took in organizing this drive,” said Director of Development Melanie Moore. “Improving the health and well-being of our community is a vital part of our mission, and we’re happy to help support the Haven, especially during these difficult economic times.”
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APD Announces Free Flu Clinic Schedule |
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APD has announced its fall flu clinic schedule. Flu shots are free to all adults (18+).
Saturday, October 25
9 a.m. – noon
Dwinell Room at Harvest Hill
125 Mascoma Street, Lebanon
Thursday, November 6
4 – 6:30 p.m.
Dwinell Room at Harvest Hill
125 Mascoma Street, Lebanon
Thursday, November 20
4 – 7 p.m.
Newport Women’s Care Center (shots are for men and women!)
10 Main Street, Newport, NH
For more information, contact Nancy DuMont at (603) 443-9548.
<a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2204818/">Read this Slate article</a> on the importance of getting a flu shot! |
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Balloon Kyphoplasty Can Give Pain Relief, Greater Mobility to Those Affected By Spinal Fracture |
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Dr. Leonard Rudolf has introduced a surgical procedure to Alice Peck Memorial Hospital that can show dramatic results for patients suffering spinal fractures from osteoporosis and cancer. Balloon kyphoplasty is a procedure designed to reduce back pain, correct spinal deformities, and improve a patient’s quality of life. It is minimally invasive and has a 90% success rate.
More than 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, according to the National Institute on Aging. The condition is more common in women than men. Osteoporosis causes the bones of the spine to weaken and often collapse, resulting in spinal fractures, which affect more than 700,000 patients a year. Traditional treatment for spinal fracture includes bed rest, medication and back bracing. These therapies may help to decrease the patient’s pain over time, but bed rest and back bracing may also interfere with the patient’s daily life, making it harder for them to keep their remaining bones strong with exercise or engage in hobbies and activities that are important to them. More importantly, these traditional therapies do not stabilize the fracture or correct any deformities that may occur from the fractures (such as the familiar ‘hunched back’ many older women experience). Untreated spinal deformities can result in chronic pain and debilitation, reduced lung function and an increased risk of other bone fractures.
Balloon kyphoplasty can significantly reduce back pain and repair the broken bone of a spinal fracture, using orthopedic balloons that are inflated to lift the fractured bone and return it to the correct position. The balloon is then removed and the surgeon fills the cavity with flexible cement. In many cases, the patient begins to feel immediate relief from pain after surgery. In general, balloon kyphoplasty takes about one hour per fracture treated. The procedure is performed with anesthesia and most patients can go home the same day.
Dr. Rudolf reports that he has treated many compression fractures with an excellent success rate. Worldwide, over 360,000 spinal fractures have been treated with balloon kyphoplasty.
Dr. Leonard Rudolf joined APD’s medical staff in 1987 and has introduced many procedures to APD, including knee and hip replacements and total ankle replacement. He is Board Certified in Orthopedics. His office in Lebanon can be reached at (603) 448-6344. |
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New England’s Next Great Retirement Community Breaks Ground in Lebanon |
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August 20 -- On August 20, 2008, Alice Peck Day Health Systems broke ground for the Woodlands at Harvest Hill, beginning a significant new chapter in its mission to serve the needs of the community. More than 150 people, including future Woodlands residents, their families and friends, attended the ceremony. “This is an incredibly exciting day for us,” said Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital President Harry Dorman. “The Woodlands represents a vital next step in our commitment to serve the evolving needs of seniors in our community. When we opened Harvest Hill in 1996, we strove to set a new standard for quality of care, services, and lifestyle. As our reputation grew, so did our waiting list, and for the past five years it has been clear that there was a much greater demand than our current facility could fulfill.”
Alice Peck Day’s administration and board members decided the time had come to address the need. “We started by convening a focus group of people on the waiting list for Harvest Hill and asking them what they wanted in their next residence,” said Rolande “Ron” Andrews, the administrator for Harvest Hill and the Woodlands. “We found they knew what the various retirement communities in the area had to offer, and none of them quite fit their needs. Many were ready to downsize, but still wanted a larger amount of residential space and more amenities than most senior living developments offered. They wanted gracious accommodations in a comfortable and convenient setting, with support in place to give them peace of mind as well as the ability to make choices about their own care. The Woodlands is a realization of their vision.”
To meet this challenge, Alice Peck Day turned to UK Architects of Hanover. “In designing the Woodlands, we kept in mind what the future residents told us they wanted, as well as ways that we could improve how the residents would live and interact,” said Chris Kennedy of UK Architects. “We were extremely fortunate in that the Woodlands started with a wonderful location in a forest that once surrounded a farm and pasture. In creating a building that would fit seamlessly into the setting, we looked for ways to protect that unique environment for future generations and to contribute to the Woodlands community’s sense of character.”
The new community is already taking shape. “This summer, I’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm that I’ve been hearing from people regarding the project, and almost all of the largest apartments have been reserved,” said Andrews. “It’s a wonderful and amazing group of people who have already decided to make the Woodlands their home. As I look toward the next stages, the construction and development of the community itself, I am extremely excited to see how these great people shape what the Woodlands will become.”
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Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital & Harvest Hill
